Rookie defensive back Jaquan Brisker has exceeded every expectation in the 2022 season and will look to make an outsized impact for the Chicago Bears in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles. A second-round selection in this year’s draft, Brisker was a superstar at Penn State at the collegiate level and was considered one of the most promising safety prospects in the class.
His involvement as a blitzer has been an unexpected boon for Chicago’s defense, and as things stand now, he leads the team in sacks ahead of the Bears’ highly anticipated matchup against the 12-1 Eagles. Though his three sacks may be considered a modest total for a defensive lineman or linebacker, Brisker has managed to be the team’s most effective player at getting to the quarterback this season.
Though this interesting statistical anomaly may be impressive for Brisker individually, it is most certainly an indictment of the Bears’ ineffective pass rush this season. They have only managed to sack the quarterback 16 times so far on the year, which ranks dead last in the NFL.
This trend will need to be rectified in 2023 as the Bears look to reload after departing with key defensive talent like Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn this season. Fortunately, Chicago has a first-round selection in the upcoming draft and may be able to land a high-end talent to get after the quarterback from a position on the defensive line or in their linebacking corps next year.
For now, though, Brisker’s outstanding play will need to suffice for fans who are ready to see the Bears’ identity shift back to a defense-first mentality in roster construction. It will take time to fix the issues that are plaguing their underperforming defense, but with Brisker’s rock-solid play in the secondary and a solid defensive draft class to choose new prospects from in April, Chicago should be able to get back on track next season.
